I really like those discontinued tube mag Marlins. Before Ruger got Marlin, it seemed that the only Marlin .22s still being offered were detachable box mag versions. Kinda sad, but it looks like every newly made rifle is using box magazines these days, if we don't count lever guns. Makes me wonder about the fate of the Marlin 60 with Ruger.
I love a tube fed .22.
The box magazine rifles make a lot of sense for a range or bench gun, but for a field gun, give me a tube any day.
For me, removing the box magazine from the rifle, doing something with the gun in the meantime, filling the magazines with cartridges, grabbing the rifle or unslinging it again, and inserting the magazine is awkward in the forest or bush. Of course one can carry extra magazines but that can quickly get cumbersome and once they’re empty, I find it tedious to reload them all.
With a tube gun, just pull the tube half way out of the rifle or tuck it under your armpit, drop in lose cartridges, reinsert tube and shoot. No sore lead covered thumb, no bandolier of spare mags needed, and the rifle can be held in the offhand easily while this is accomplished.
Tube guns also have an advantage in that you can have up to 15-20 rounds or so in the tube and there is no need to have a big banana magazine hanging out of the rifle right at the natural balance point of most rifles and ready to hang up on brush.
For a 22 I do not consider it a combat rifle and don’t care how many magazines and rounds I rip down range. Firing a string of shots, taking a break to reload the tube, has an appealing cadence to it. Just my humble opinion but I too lament the lack of tubes on new production .22s.
Hoping to find a bolt action one soon and thanks for the help in this friends.
Finding magazines for the detachable box guns is highly problematic.
